Senior Associate - Banking & Finance Lawyer

LHH; Warrington; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Manchester-based Senior Associate – Banking & Finance role with an established international law firm. You will operate within a sizeable finance team, handling a varied caseload for lenders and borrowers across the capital structure, with a core focus on ABL transactions and opportunities to broaden into leveraged finance and real estate finance.

Ideal candidates will have 4–7 years PQE, be a qualified Solicitor (England & Wales or Commonwealth with English market experience), and demonstrate

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor in England & Wales or a Commonwealth jurisdiction with at least two years in the English market
• Finance law experience with ABL exposure
• Strong technical knowledge of ABL structures and international outlook
• Commercially minded, client-focused and able to develop relationships
• Able to own matters, report to partners and guide junior team members

Responsibilities

• Lead ABL-focused transactions and related banking matters
• Represent lenders and borrowers across the deal lifecycle
• Engage in cross-border transaction work with international colleagues
• Draft and negotiate key finance documents such as credit and intercreditor agreements
• Contribute to business development and sector specialization
• Build a personal practice area over time and collaborate with UK and London teams
• Possibly participate in a secondment to a client or another office

Skills

Finance law

ABL exposure

Client relationships

Cross-border experience

Education

Solicitor (England & Wales) or Commonwealth with English market experience

Job description

Senior Associate – Banking & Finance

Manchester

A well established international law firm is looking to strengthen its Manchester Global Finance Group with a Senior Associate, ideally around 4 to 7 years' PQE. The role sits mainly within the firm's Asset Based Lending (ABL) practice, though there's genuine scope to get involved across the wider finance offering.

What the role involves

You'd be joining a sizeable, well regarded finance team and working on a genuinely varied caseload, acting for both lenders and borrowers, and getting exposure right across the capital structure. Day to day, that could include:

• ABL transactions as your core focus, with room to branch into leveraged finance, PLC corporate lending, real estate finance and general banking matters
• Acting for both sides of the table, lenders and borrowers, on complex ABL deals
• Cross border transaction work, collaborating regularly with colleagues in the firm's other international offices
• Taking ownership of key finance documentation: credit agreements, intercreditor agreements, security documents and the like
• Getting involved in business development, both regionally and with the London team
• Building out your own sector specialism over time
• Working alongside Finance partners from other UK offices, not just your home base
• The possibility of a secondment, whether client side or to another office

What they're looking for

PQE is treated as a guide rather than a hard cut off, but candidates around the 4 to 7 year mark tend to have the right depth of experience. They'd like someone who:

• Is a qualified Solicitor (England & Wales, or a Commonwealth jurisdiction with at least two years' English market experience)
• Has existing finance law experience with some ABL exposure, and wants to build a career in that space
• Is technically strong on ABL structures, with an international outlook (multi jurisdictional experience is a bonus, not a requirement)
• Can lead a matter: owning key documents, reporting to the partner, and guiding junior team members
• Is commercially minded, client focused, and comfortable with business development
• Communicates well, builds strong relationships, and stays composed under pressure

Interested?

Get in touch for a confidential conversation about this role, or to find out more about opportunities in Banking & Finance across the North West.